Best Film Ensemble

‘Westworld’ episode 3 recap: ‘Virtu e Fortuna’ unveils new locations – are we on our way to Shogun World?

Ever since the appearance of an “SW” logo in the season one finale, “Westworld” fans have anticipated the addition of new parks to the hit HBO series. The latest episode of season two, ‘Virtu e Fortuna,’ delivered on this promise by revealing two new parks. Dive into the questions raised by these new locations in our episode three debrief below.

Park #6 – The episode opens on British occupied India, as a sitar cover of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” floats through the air. It’s not actually India, but another park run by the Delos Corporation. Two unnamed guests start a wild affair, and their passing mention of “hunting Bengals” would seem to place them in “Park 6,” referenced in the season premiere. Their hunting expedition goes awry when they discover massacred guests at a camp. The male guest becomes another victim courtesy of a rogue host with a shotgun. The woman kills the assailant and scurries into the jungle, only to be pursued by a tiger. She manages to escape to the edge of the park where the beast tackles her off a cliff. She miraculously survives the plunge, clawing her way to shore, but only to come face to face with Ghost Nation warriors. Horrible luck. The most intriguing bit here is a specific-looking map in the woman’s possession. Could it relate to the “valley beyond” or “weapon” we’ve heard about? In any case, the map now resides in Westworld for one of our main characters to discover.

Bernard Unmasked? – In the present timeline, Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and the Delos rescue team head into an underground facility to regroup. There they encounter Charlotte (Tessa Thompson), whom many fans feared was dead after failing to appear in this timeline. She is still hunting for Abernathy, and pointedly asks Bernard if he has any idea where the host could have gone. The question triggers a flashback for Bernard, and the camera shifts focus to the past timeline. As the shift happens, we hear Charlotte mutter “he seems to keep slipping away from us.” She could be referencing Abernathy, but the way she looks at Bernard hints that she might be keen to his robotic identity.

Reunions – Maeve (Thandie Newton) has several encounters with her past. The first is the Ghost Nation warrior who repeatedly killed her in the narrative where she had a daughter. She is able to escape this man and his tribe by fleeing into an underground Delos facility with Hector (Rodrigo Santoro) and Sizemore (Simon Quarterman). There they encounter Armistice (Ingrid Bolso Berdal), who attacks Delos men with a flamethrower. Audiences assumed she, like Hector, died in the season 1 finale. Along the escape route, the group also picks up season 1 mainstays Felix (Leonardo Nam) and Sylvester (Ptolemy Slocum). The whole gang is back together!

Forlorn Hope – In the past timeline, Charlotte and Bernard do find Abernathy, but the group is beset by hosts. Charlotte saves herself by fleeing on horseback and eventually meets up with the Delos army. Meanwhile, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) talks with the Colonel at Fort Forlorn Hope with the intention of uniting her army with his. After the man agrees to her battle plan, Abernathy and Bernard are brought into the fort as prisoners. Dolores reminisces over the simplicity of her past narratives with her “father” Abernathy, but the host is on the fritz. He keeps seizing up and stammering that he has “to get to the train.”

World Domination – Dolores has another private conversation with Bernard, and the two could not differ more in their world views. While he is terrified to stray from his given function and role, Dolores is basking in the possibilities before her. “I discovered my own voice that says ‘I may,’” she tells her former mentor. When Bernard asks her what she wants, she casually replies that she wishes to dominate the world. That sounds impossible to Bernard, but in an ironic twist, Dolores reminds him that she has been outside of the parks while he hasn’t. She knows well the world she wants to conquer. It doesn’t look like Bernard is going to take up her cause though.

Encrypted File – As the Delos men arrive to assault the fort, Bernard gets to work on unlocking the encrypted file within Abernathy. He eventually gains access and whatever is in the file is so shocking it makes Bernard tremble — the same type of tremors that made his hands shake in previous episodes. He doesn’t have much time to process the information before Delos men storm the building and steal Abernathy. Bernard tries to flee the scene, but his motor functions are malfunctioning, and he is ultimately knocked unconscious by Clementine (Angela Sarafyan).

Sacrifices – Dolores proves ruthless on the battlefield. As Delos operatives close in, the host queen has her own forces retreat to the fort while locking out the Colonel and his soldiers. They are massacred by the Delos forces’ superior firepower, and Dolores has Angela (Talulah Riley) blow the whole battlefield to smithereens with well-placed dynamite. Unfortunately, Dolores is unable to stop Charlotte from driving away with Abernathy. She mentions to Teddy (James Marsden) that they need to head to Sweetwater, their former home, as there is something there that she now needs. Is this mission to recapture her former father going to derail her path to “Glory”?

Shogun World – As Maeve and company travel north, near the “Klondike narrative,” Sizemore spots a severed head buried in a pile of snow. Before he can warn the others, Maeve turns at the sound of rustling nearby. A samurai swordsman dashes towards her, weapon drawn. The episode cuts to black. It’s safe to assume we are off to the heavily teased Shogun World next week. Might this park hold the key to finding Maeve’s daughter?

Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before nominees are announced on July 12. And join in the fun debate over the 2018 Emmys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.